Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine 20 (2013) 559

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Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the editor: Response to “Assessing the presence of female

DNA on post-coital penile swabs: Relevance to the investigation of
sexual assault” published in the October 2012 edition of the Journal
of Forensic and Legal Medicine

Dear editor, developing a system that ensures timely examination of alleged

I write in response to “Assessing the presence of female DNA on
post-coital penile swabs: Relevance to the investigation of sexual
assault” published in the October 2012 edition of the Journal of
Forensic and Legal Medicine. Farmen et al. are to be congratulated
on the very interesting research findings that they have dissemi-
nated. The researchers investigate whether female vaginal epithe-
lial cells can be found on penile swabs taken after consensual
vaginal intercourse and, furthermore, quantify the extent of the
female DNA profile that could be subsequently recovered. In the
study, female DNA was recovered on all post-coital penile swabs
taken up to 24 h after intercourse, with the highest recovery
rate (w90% of the full DNA profile) being within 12 h of inter-
course. The authors point out that this high recovery rate deviates
from previous research that has examined such recovery rates in
real rape cases. The real-life practical change that this research
study should contribute to is the strengthening of forensic medical
examination procedures in the case of the alleged perpetrator of
sexual crime. Most emphasis to date has been correctly placed
upon ensuring that the forensic medical needs of the victim of
sexual crime are appropriately addressed. As such, we have, for
example in Ireland, developed a network of Sexual Assault Treat-
ment Units, with robust operating procedures and skilled person-
nel. However, if we really want to provide the best possible
outcome for victims of such crimes, we must ensure that the
alleged perpetrator is also appropriately forensically examined.
The difference between the high recovery rate in the present
study and that seen in real cases of rape may be addressed by
perpetrators by appropriately skilled clinicians. Such a system
could only improve the final outcome for the victim. Whilst our
neighbours in the UK have a well-developed forensic medical
service that can, by and large, be easily accessed by the police,
the same cannot be said of many other European countries where
such services are provided in a less-well-organised fashion. Thank
you to Farmen et al. for providing research evidence that under-
lines the potential usefulness of thorough forensic medical exami-
nation of alleged perpetrators of sexual violence.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Kieran Kennedy.
Conflict of interest
None.
Kieran M. Kennedy, Forensic Medical Examiner,
Lecturer in Medical Education*
Galway Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, HSE West, Hazelwood House,
Parkmore Road, Galway, Ireland
Room 203, Cummerford Medical Education Centre, Clinical Science
Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
* Tel.: þ353 87 9174813; fax: þ353 91 494540.
E-mail address: kieran.m.kennedy@gmail.com
21 September 2012
Available online 4 February 2013

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